Sacramentals

Foradi/18 Flora

O, Agia Rhea/Rhave, Jana of Steadfastness, Temperance and Self-Restraint, be with us.

This is an update to last year’s post on sacramentals.

Sacramentals are ritual objects that have been blessed such as holy water, rosaries, holy medals (pendants), scapulars, prayer books, etc. Other holy objects are icons, holy paintings, religious statues, etc. A sacramental also includes the powerful ritual tracing of the Fora. All of these things should be blessed for proper efficacy.

A blessed object, such as a pendant of Our Lady, becomes a focused channel of Dea’s Power, Grace and protection. A blessed icon or painting becomes a open portal to Heaven.

This idea, of icons or paintings become open portals or (as the Orthodox say) windows to Heaven can actually be explained on a conscious, quantum level, the same explanation as to how the bread and white wine are transmuted during a liturgy that is presided over by a validly ordained priestess), but this subject is beyond the scope of this brief article.

Icons and religious paintings are not the same thing. Icons are painted by properly trained iconographers. These iconographers are trained to paint in a certain style while using certain materials while fasting and praying. (1 and 2).

Our long-time sister, Kathi, who is Christian and practices the Deanic Faith as a way of reaching the Mother God side of her spirituality. She has found some beautiful, more modern paintings of Our Lady. As with mounted printed icons, the prints of these paintings are mounted on wood making the painting long-lasting and sturdy for altar, shrine or icon corner. The artist also has these prints available in pendants and holy cards. The following plaque is available from the same company.

(Please contact us if you wish to purchase these or the cross below. We will be happy to send you the link.)

Holy cards, which also may be blessed, might also be considered a sacramental. They may be carried in a purse or pocket and they make wonderful book marks for prayer, scripture and holy books. I hope, someday in the future, that we have our own holy cards with Janite prayers on the back.